When BJ and I started dating, I didn’t hold this part of my heart back from him - he knew that being with me meant that he should learn to live out of a suitcase because traveling is my favorite. I grew up driving on road trips for every holiday to see our extended family and up to the mountains for snow-skiing. I'll never forget my very first venture across the Atlantic  - The first foreign country I ever stepped foot in was Scotland…. And I knew at that moment what I still know today: this is a big ole’ world and I want to see as much as I can of it. I’ve passed that passion on to my kids who are willing to get in the car or on a plane and just GO with us… familiar beaches, new cities, crazy adventures, hotels, cabins, and even RVs… we all get a big thrill when a travel itinerary is on our calendar.

I’ll backtrack my thoughts for a moment to expound on why I share how much I love to travel: this summer is a little bit quieter for the Rector family, and I am trying really hard to find not only peace, but joy, at a slower pace here at home. Its created a lot of good discussion in our home about entitlement, assumption and taking things for granted - quite exposing to realize how much worth I have placed on escaping, retreating and vacationing when it is not on the calendar… without recognizing it, I've grown so accustomed to a privilege over the years that I’ve believed its my right. And so this “painful” travel pause is probably one of the healthiest things we can do for me, BJ and our family.

 

Well, since I’m sitting here reflecting on all the places I love, I figure I might as well pass my thoughts onto others. One thing I love almost as much as traveling is sharing my resources - you know when you have something so good you just want others to love it as much as you do? Well I can’t help myself… it can be a destination, meal, book, or experience… but if it impacts me, we can all assume I’ll talk about it. So I figured if I am not wheels-up myself over the summer, it would be fun to slowly roll out some of our favorite travel spots with recommendations for all of them.

 

One of the biggest perks of my Rodan + Fields business has without a doubt been travel - truly, they have taken me around the world! Fun fact to know about me: give me a carrot, and I will go chase it. Make that carrot require a passport and I’ll sleep on another day… because if there is a trip to run for, this girl gets to work!  Australia, Thailand, England, France, Spain…. Those are just a few of the international sites where they’ve rewarded my efforts. One year, they gifted my family a trip to Jackson Hole… and well, here comes the rest of my musings for the day.

 

If you asked the Rectors to hop on a plane anywhere this summer, all five of us would say send us to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We have traveled up there 4 times in the last 6 years and honestly, can never ever get enough! We’ve visited with just our family, with my parents, with two different groups of friends and their kids and are scheming to see when we can pop up there again, soon. Turns out July in Texas doesn't quit hit the same as July in Wyoming! It seems that almost weekly I am sending my itinerary notes and ideas for activities, restaurants, and stays to someone -  so why not just share here? Should you and yours ever want to visit heaven on earth, hopefully this little resource will serve your planning well. This list is definitely not all encompassing, so if you have more questions I would be so happy to give more details, too!

It is pretty obvious to note that one thing I have to be very, very careful of is that I do not idolize travel - dreaming of the escape over embracing my reality. I love my reality, but I love to be wheels-up. Similar to the social media fast I’ve taken, this summer is a good reset for me, challenging me to not take a good thing and turn it into a little-g god in my life. What about you? Maybe it isn’t travel - like my dad, he prefers to never travel ever again - but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some version of escape that he (or anyone of us) holds too highly esteemed if not kept in check. Pause and consider it… evaluate if anything (a good thing, even) has become so important to you that you feel like if it were taken away, or you find yourself in a season where it has to go on the shelf, makes you overly emotional. 

 

I am not taking travel out of my life (please never, never!) but as I sit here relishing in all I love about it, I do realize that my contentment is called into question when I don’t have my next trip planned. Do you have something you love that you’ve twisted from a privilege to a perceived right? A good thing that brings you joy, but that you’ve placed too much value in and without it you semi-spiral? Have you ever thought about the luxuries we are afforded that we’ve maybe worked super hard for, maybe saved really well for, but also maybe we also put too much emphasis on? I personally need to unpack these questions more and maybe suggest you think about it and talk about it with your peeps, too.

I will always love and plan for, save for and spend my time and money on travel…. however, I genuinely hope my posture towards adventure pivots as we go through this quieter Rector summer. Honestly, I hope I’m being pruned in all the ways that give me confidence to know that my joy doesn’t come from circumstances, places or things - it is only found in the person and presence of Christ. But, you guys - our God created a big ole’ world; let's go see it all.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.